Page 23 of Tangled Up In You

"Thank you. Would you like to see my recording studio?"

"I would love to."

"Let's take a walk."

She got up and followed Chelsea down a well-lit path to a big barn-like building.

Upon entering, Chelsea switched on the lights. "This is where it all happens these days."

"It's very cool. I've never been in a studio before. This looks so sophisticated."

"I wanted it to be state-of-the-art so I could work from Whisper Lake." Chelsea swept her hand toward what appeared to be a massive control panel with more knobs and buttons than Molly could count, as well as three digital screens. "My sound engineers work there. I stand behind the glass and sing. Sometimes, I'm joined by musicians as well. When we're not working, we're lounging over there." She pointed to a seating area of comfortable couches and chairs, and a small kitchen.

"How often do you record?" she asked.

"It depends. I just finished an album last month, so I'm taking some time off, which worked out well since I've been feeling rather sick with this pregnancy."

"Sorry to hear that."

"Thanks. I actually spoke to Phoebe the day before she died. She said she had an herbal tea that might help my morning sickness. She was going to put it aside for me, but then, well, the worst thing in the world happened, and she passed away. I was just wondering if you might know what she was talking about, or if you might have found something with my name on it."

"There's a lot of stuff that I haven't gone through yet. But I'm fairly sure she was talking about a ginger-lemon tea. I can look in the store tomorrow to see what Phoebe has. If she doesn't have it, I can order it or give you some suggestions if you want to do it yourself."

"I've looked online, but it's so confusing, and I'm a little afraid to do something too radical. I don't want to hurt the baby. Brodie is also very concerned about me taking any unregulated herbs."

"These teas are very mild. Besides tea, there's a mint-based lotion that also seems to help."

"A lotion?" Chelsea asked doubtfully.

"Yes," she said with a smile. "It's relaxing and smells really good."

"Well, that doesn't sound dangerous."

"It's not. Why don't you come by the store tomorrow afternoon? Let me see what I can find that might help you."

"Are you sure you want to do that on a Sunday?"

"Of course. I'm going to be working, anyway."

"Then I'll come by. If I can find anything that helps even a bit, I'll be grateful. I'm spending half my life in the bathroom. I shouldn't complain, because I feel incredibly blessed to be pregnant and to have so much real love in my life with Brodie and all my friends."

"You're not complaining. No one wants to feel bad. And hopefully you're almost through the worst of it."

"That's what my doctor keeps saying. She's out of town right now, so I haven't had a chance to talk to her. The physician covering for her hasn't been that interested in giving me natural healing ideas. Hannah suggested I talk to Phoebe. She thought there might be some alternative methods that could help me."

She was happy to hear that Hannah had an open mind. Not that she was surprised. Hannah had always been forward-thinking. "There are lots of things you can try, including breathing exercises, meditation. There's a strong connection between the mind and the body."

Chelsea smiled. "I think Phoebe left her store to exactly the right person."

"I have nowhere near the knowledge she had, but I hope I can help you."

"I appreciate the effort. Shall we get dessert? I'm actually thinking I might eat some cake."

"Let's do it."

When they returned to the group, dessert was on the table and conversation was flowing fast and furiously. There were lots of inside jokes that Molly didn't completely understand, but it was easy to see the genuine love and friendship in the group.

She'd almost forgotten what it was like to feel part of such a close-knit group. She'd moved around so often in her life that friends came and went more often than they stayed. But many in this group had been friends for most of their lives, which seemed almost unbelievable to her. But that was Whisper Lake. It was a place where people were happy to spend their entire lives, something that also seemed unrealistic.

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